Thrashers AHL prospect season review 2003-04

By Brent Gade

May 23rd, 2004

The Chicago Wolves had a very successful 2003-04 regular season. Led by the second-ranked offense and top-scoring power play, the Wolves finished third in the tough West Division, recording 96 points (42-26-9-3). The Wolves roster contained only three AHL rookies, but each prospect improved his game in some way this season. Below is a look at each of the 12 prospects who spent a large part of the season with the team.

Forwards

Stephen Baby

Right wing Stephen Baby had an up-and-down first professional season. The 24-year-old struggled to consistently make the lineup early in the season and was scratched in 11 of the first 27 games. Baby started the season on the fourth line with prospect Brian Maloney. Learning to use his size along the boards, Baby started to gain the coaching staff’s trust and earned a second scoring line opportunity with Brian Swanson and Eric Healey. The Illinois native responded with a productive second half, recording 19 of his 27 points (11 goals, 8 assists) over the final 40 games. He led Chicago Wolves rookies this season with 14 goals, and he enjoyed back-to-back two-goal games on March 14 against Utahand March 17 against Cincinnati.

In the postseason, Baby continued his steady play. Relegated back to fourth line duty, he was able to record 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) in the 10 playoff games and played on the second power play unit.

GP

G

A

PTS

PIM

+/-

2003-04 Regular Season

68

14

12

26

72

0

2004 Playoffs

10

1

4

5

6

4

Zdenek Blatny

Left wing Zdenek Blatny continued his development this season. Playing on the second scoring line with center Swanson and left wing Healey, Blatny started the season strong, scoring 19 points (6 goals, 13 assists) in his first 30 games. The fast start offensively earned the 23-year-old winger his first extended call-up to the Atlanta Thrashers on December 26, 2003 due to injuries. Upon his return from Atlanta, Blatny was placed on the third line with fellow prospects Derek MacKenzie and Karl Stewart. Blatny played a sporadic role on the power play, playing the left point when defenseman Shawn Heins was in Atlanta. Despite playing in only 61 AHL games this season, Blatny notched a career-high 34 points (11 goals, 23 assists), tied for second on the team with four game-winningtallies, and finished fourth on the club with 115 penalty minutes.

Playing on the third line throughout the playoffs, Blatny had a quiet post season. Although he registered four playoff assists, three of them came in Game 4 of the West Division Semifinal against Grand Rapids. His contract is up for renewal this offseason.

GP

G

A

PTS

PIM

+/-

2003-04 Regular Season

61

11

23

34

115

6

2004 Playoffs

10

0

4

4

24

0

Derek MacKenzie

No Atlanta Thrashers AHL prospect progressed more this season than 22-year-old Derek MacKenzie. MacKenzie played well as the Wolves third-line center, top penalty killer, and key faceoff man. Playing between hard-working players Brendan Yarema and Stewart, the Ontario born center enjoyed a breakout season offensively. He notched career-highs with 19 goals and 35 points in 63 AHL games this season. He also recorded his first professional hat trick on March 27 against the Milwaukee Admirals. MacKenzie’s strong play was rewarded this season with three separate call-ups to Atlanta. He was recalled on November 21, 2003 but did not play for Atlanta and was reassigned on November 23. Again, MacKenzie was recalled to the NHL on January 6, 2004 but did not see any game action and was reassigned to Chicago on January 14. He was recalled on February 20, 2004 and stayed until March 16. Playing in 12 games with Atlanta, MacKenzie registered one assist and 10 penalty minutes.

MacKenzie continued his strong play throughout the postseason. He scored the shorthanded game-winning tally 58 seconds into overtime in Game 1 of the West Division Semifinal on April 16. He led the team in goals (7) and registered a hat trick in Game 4 of the West Division Semifinal against Grand Rapids. His contract is up for renewal this offseason.

GP

G

A

PTS

PIM

+/-

2003-04 Regular Season

63

19

16

35

67

8

2004 Playoffs

10

7

1

8

13

2

Brian Maloney

Left wing Maloney spent much of the year on the fourth line. Teaming with linemate Baby, Maloney was an effective forechecker. Routinely pressuring the opposing defensemen, he was a good complement to Baby’s strength along the boards. The Alberta native provided few highlights in his first full season, but he was a contributor to the season’s improved penalty-killing unit. Maloney, 25 years old, did not contribute much offensively, although he did show some flashes of offensive ability. He tallied a season and professional best three points (1 goal, 2 assists), including the game-winning marker on March 13 against Utah.

Maloney played on the fourth line for much of the playoffs and played well in limited action. He notched his first professional playoff points with a goal and an assist in Game 4 of the West Division Semifinal against Grand Rapids.

GP

G

A

PTS

PIM

+/-

2003-04 Regular Season

69

9

11

20

56

-8

2004 Playoffs

10

1

1

2

17

1

Tommi Santala

Finnish import Tommi Santala, playing for the first time in North America, split his season between the NHL and the AHL. In the AHL, the 24-year-old displayed the playmaking ability and offensive flair that helped him finish third in scoring in the 2002-03 Finnish Elite League season. Despite playing in only 50 American Hockey League games, he was among team leaders in goals (15), points (37), and game-winning goals (4). Santala’s versatility was a key contributor to his improved second half. Moving from his natural center position to right wing to play with center Daniel Corso and left wing Steve Maltais, he recorded 10 goals and 19 assists in 35 games. Throughout the season, Santala was part of a rotation taking extra shifts with the fourth line centering Baby and Maloney.

Santala provided much of the Wolves postseason offense. He tallied back-to-back two-point efforts in Game 3 and Game 4 of the West Division Semifinal against Grand Rapids. He also recorded three assists in the six game West Division Final against the Milwaukee Admirals. Proving he has a bit of a mean streak, Santala tallied a postseason-high 17 penalty minutes in Game 2 of the West Division Final against Milwaukee.

GP

G

A

PTS

PIM

+/-

2003-04 Regular Season

50

15

22

37

34

1

2004 Playoffs

10

1

6

7

31

2

Karl Stewart

The aggressive and hard-working Stewart, 21, had a magnificent rookie season as a solid two-way forward. Displaying a unique blend of offensive ability, defensive responsibility, and physical play, the Ontario left wing finished among the top five league rookies in three key statistical categories: assists (32), plus/minus (24), and penalty minutes (186). Spending most of the season on the defensive checking line with prospect MacKenzie and a combination of Yarema and Blatny, Stewart recorded a plus or even rating in 61 of his 72 AHL games. He played with an aggressive edge all season. At times, the young rookie would go over the edge as evidenced by his team season-high 31 penalty minutes in a February 11th game against the Houston Aeros.

Stewart continued his hard work and forechecking in the postseason. Playing on the second scoring line with Swanson and Healey, his hard work was rewarded with his first professional playoff goal in Game 1 ofthe West Division Final against the Milwaukee Admirals.

GP

G

A

PTS

PIM

+/-

2003-04 Regular Season

72

10

32

42

186

24

2004 Playoffs

10

2

3

5

29

0

Defensemen

Kurtis Foster

Kurtis Foster, 22, was hoping to build on his strong sophomore season and continue developing into a solid offensive defenseman. Spending the season with veteran defense partner Greg Hawgood, the Ontario native’s offensive numbers dipped slightly and lacked consistency. Foster was able to register point streaks of six games (December 26-January 3) and four games (January 14-January 18). However, he recorded scoreless streaks of eight games (October 29-November 20) and nine games (December 3-December 20). Defensively, he finished -2 while playing for the league’s second best offense, which was a large improvement from last season (-15). Foster missed 12 games late in the season with a separatedshoulder.

Foster’s offensive inconsistency carried through the postseason. The defenseman did not register a goal during the 2004 postseason and he recorded two of his three postseason assists in Game 2 of the West Division Final against Milwaukee. His contract is up for renewal this offseason.

GP

G

A

PTS

PIM

+/-

2003-04 Regular Season

67

11

19

30

95

-2

2004 Playoffs

10

0

3

3

12

1

Kyle Rossiter

Kyle Rossiter, acquired for the underachieving Kamil Piros, was a late season addition. He was added to provide a physical presence to the Wolves blue line. Rossiter shared the blueline with various partners in the Wolves seven defenseman rotation, but he spent many of his shifts with Joe DiPenta. The Alberta native did provide some physical play in his brief time with the Wolves, as he accrued 25 penalty minutes in 12 games. Near the end of the season, the 23-year-old defenseman injured his shoulder and did not play the final two regular season games.

Rossiter did not play in the West Division Semifinal against Grand Rapids due to injury. The defenseman wasn’t a factor in the West Division Final, but he did register a postseason-high 17 penalty minutes in Game 2.

GP

G

A

PTS

PIM

+/-

2003-04 San Antonio

51

5

7

12

70

-6

2003-04 Chicago

12

0

1

1

25

2

2004 Playoffs

6

0

0

0

19

0

Luke Sellars

After two disappointing seasons, defenseman Luke Sellars, 23, started the season slowly, scratched in 13 of the first 20 regular season games. Once the disappointing defenseman earned a lineup spot, he played his best professional hockey and started showing the promise that made him the 30th overall choice in the 1999 draft. Unfortunately, Sellars’ season was derailed by injury after playing in only 32 games. The Ontario native did not post strong offensive numbers in his limited games, but his defensive numbers were much improved. Sellars played well in the defensive zone and ranked fourth on the team in plus/minus recording a +9 rating. This was the last year of Sellars’ rookie contract.

GP

G

A

PTS

PIM

+/-

2003-04 Regular Season

32

2

6

8

72

9

2004 Playoffs

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Libor Ustrnul

Libor Ustrnul made modest improvements in his second full professional season. A defensive defenseman, the 22-year-old matched his career high in points this season with 2 (1 goal, 1 assist). When Ustrnul was in the lineup, he provided some physical play and steady defensive positioning playing with AHL veteran Mike Weaver. He registered a season-high +2 plus/minus rating twice this Season, on October 26 against Toronto and January 18 against Houston. His brief career has been plagued by injury and this season was no different. Overall, the Czech Republic native missed 28 games due to injury this season, including 19 with a concussion.

Ustrnul played in a limited role in the four game sweep of Grand Rapids in the West Division Semifinal. Continuing his strong defensive play, the defenseman registered a postseason-high +4 plus/minus rating in Game 4 of the series.Ustrnul did not play in the West Division Final due to a death in the family.

GP

G

A

PTS

PIM

+/-

2003-04 Regular Season

46

1

1

2

68

-2

2004 Playoffs

4

0

1

1

13

3

Goaltenders

Kari Lehtonen

Kari Lehtonen came to North America with great expectations and responded with a magnificent rookie season. The 20-year-old quickly adjusted to the smaller ice surface and increased net traffic. A sign of things to come, Lehtonen stopped a season-high 41 of 43 shots to win his North American debut on October 18 against Utah. Overall, the Finnish phenom posted 20 wins, 2.41 goals against average, a .926 save percentage, and three shutouts. He was named the starting goaltender for the PlanetUSA All-Star team; however, he did not playin the game due to injury.

Lehtonen took his game to a new level in the postseason. He was dominant through most of the postseason and made several incredible acrobatic saves. The young goaltender posted a 1.50 goals-against average and a .951 save percentage in the West Division Semifinal against Grand Rapids, sweeping the series. The only reason the West Division Final lasted six games was the outstanding goaltending by Lehtonen, who made 40 saves or more five times.

GPI

AVG

W

L

T

SO

GA

Save Pct

2003-04 Regular Season

39

2.41

20

14

2

3

88

.926

2004 Playoffs

10

2.08

6

4

1

23

.942

Michael Garnett

Michael Garnett played well filling in for injuries to Lehtonen and during call-ups of Fredric Cassivi and Lehtonen. Garnett, 21, was recalled to the Wolves from the ECHL Gwinnett Gladiators on January 15, 2004. He recorded 19 saves on 20 shots to earn his first AHL victory in his first AHL start on January 17 against the Manitoba Moose (5-1 win). The goaltender recorded a four-game unbeaten streak (January 17 to February 11), notching three wins and one tie during that stretch. Garnett matched his season-high 37 saves on a season-most 39 shots in his seventh win of the season on April 4 against San Antonio. He was reassigned to Gwinnett on April 5.

GPI

AVG

W

L

T

SO

GA

Save Pct

2003-04 Regular Season

13

2.63

7

3

2

0

32

.914

Notes: Other prospects played very limited roles with the Chicago Wolves this season. Defenseman Paul Flache, 22, played well in his brief nine game stint recording four points (2 goals, 2 assists). Speedy right wingAnthony Aquino, 21, did not register a point in two games with the Wolves. DefensemanEvan Nielsen, 22, played in 17 contests, recording one goal and six penalty minutes. Center Kevin Doell, 24, scored a goal and added an assist in eight AHL games this season. After his Yale University season ended, defenseman Jeff Dwyer, 23, played 11regular season games going scoreless.